To think this journalist from the independent is rather deluded ?

It's been used by a few different staff members both on here and on X. It's also totally in keeping with their shoppers experience.

But I'm sorry, just to check again ...

YOU think their policy is to encourage male staff members to 'proactively engage' with 14 year old girls, shopping for bras in the lingerie department. Correct?

Well, AI must definitely know M&S' operating model much better than M&S themselves.

The employee didn't discuss underwear with her. She asked if the customer needed help. The customer didn't, so the employee went about her business.

You are right that - in M&S at least - employees are assigned broad departments (e.g. clothing and homeware). But it is not correct to say that they only work in one specific part of that. That accords with both my personal experience (family members who worked there, not me) and what M&S have said.

@PlanetJanette
AI Overview -

Yes, Marks & Spencer (M&S) does assign staff to specific departments or teams. While there is a structured career path with opportunities for multi-skilling and movement between functions, employees typically work within defined areas. M&S also encourages business awareness and cross-employment between different areas of the company.

So why is it you think that it is appropriate for a man assigned to another department to approach a teenage girl to discuss underwear?

Thank God for safeguarding training. It’s clearly very necessary. The more the better because some fools out there think it’s ok for a bloke to approach a little girl in the lingerie section.

Have you ever done safeguarding training?

There are certain conversations that you just don't even go near if you are a male and you are talking to a female, ESPECIALLY one who is a minor. This actually the principle extends to adult females talking to males too.

Even if your intentions are perfectly innocent.

The default position of safeguarding is to assume ALL people are a risk and potential pervs.

This includes me. This includes every other woman on here. It includes every adult male regardless of how they identify.

This is not difficult to understand. It is standard as training.

The fact you don't understand this and why it's important reflects on you, not for any one asking questions on here.

We SHOULD be asking questions.

Because they approached a child in the underwear section, which is extremely inappropriate. There is nowhere for the conversation to go which isn’t discussing her underwear and bust, as a PP illustrated. It’s like saying ‘he only asked for her phone number. It wasn’t at all sexualised. Phone numbers arent sexual! He didn’t ask her to take her clothes off! He only asked for a photo! Photos arent sexual! They were in public!’

it’s never ok to approach a teen girl in a lingerie section.

That means you too, Jannette.

Poppycock.

People are assigned departments. There may be some movement if they are short staffed but training staff on the stock for every department is onerous and doesn't happen.

By the way you still haven't answered why you believe it is appropriate for a male to approach a teenage girl to discuss underwear with her?

M&S didn't think it was appropriate or they wouldn't have apologised.

You keep putting 'peaceful browsing' in quote marks like its being quoted from some sort of source. But it's not, as far as I can see.

What has actually got a source is a job description which describes 'proactive' (see when quote marks are appropriate?) engagement.

What help do you think a teenager needs in a lingerie department that a man can offer?

Inappropriate male behaviour apologist posts like yours actually helps. Highlights the importance of safeguarding measures (or the lack of) and lapses need to be dealt with accordingly.

They told the mother that he should have been on another floor

Who said that?

M&S has confirmed that is not how they operate. They have confirmed that staff work across multiple departments.

Of course if their conduct were in some other way nefarious or could be legitimately perceived as such, that could be a safeguarding issue. But again, not the case in this situation

A man, approached a teenaged child, in the lingerie department.

His approach is legitimate cause for concern all by itself.

That’s it.
Just his approach.
In that department.

That’s concerning.

If they’d been in Halfords or B&Q or McDonald’s then no problem at all.

But in M&S lingerie department? He shouldn’t have gone anywhere near her.

Anyone in retail know the protocol for an unaccompanied crying toddler? I know there will be one. Everyone knows you don’t approach an unaccompanied child without safeguarding precautions.

Just on this thread, for example, that this (identifiable) employee is a predator and engaged in sexualised behaviour.

There seems to be a discrepancy between what was said to the press about working in departments and what was said to the mother.

It looks like PR got involved to try and make the problem go away doesn't it?

Funny that.

Anyone who's been in an M&S knows that they don't do this in the main. I've seen M&S staff confirm this on X and on here. The policy is facilitating 'peaceful browsing'.

Regardless, it definitely isn't their policy to encourage male staff to 'proactively engage' with 14 year old girls, shopping for bras in the lingerie department. Trying to argue that makes you sound insane.

Oh look.

A sea lion.

No. None of that happened.

A male walks up to a teen girl and offers to help so asks her what size her breasts are.

The employee did not ask her what size her breasts are.

A male walks up to a teen girl and offers to help so asks her what colour material would she like covering her breasts.

The employee did not ask her what colour material would she like covering her breasts.

A male walks up to a teen girl and offers to help by finding someone to measure her breasts.

The employee did not specify what help was available. It was a general 'can I help with anything' type enquiry.

Have you ever worked in retail? You tend to be assigned a shop floor department. You know your stock. If someone approaches you to ask for a specific size you know your product.

You are making a series of assumptions to excuse a male approaching a teenage girl to talk to about underwear.

Do you think stock is only replenished by people with special magical hands that can touch bras and knickers?

It is common in retail for staff to work across departments depending on where they are needed. And M&S has confirmed that is also their practice. So the notion that this person had a 'designated' zone in which they worked that they should not stray beyond is nonsense.

A man has no business approaching teen girls he does not know. Ever.

Link for this claim that M&S policy is not to approach customers?

Their job descriptions suggest otherwise.

There isn't a specific cohort of staff who work in lingerie though

Of course there are! Stock doesn't replenish itself.

Laugh out loud ignorant of how retail works.